Exploring the history and theories of political thought of international relations in the seventeenth century, this volume addresses one of the great paradoxes of post-medieval Europe: why instead of bringing peace to a disorganised and violent world, modernity instead produced a seemingly endless string of conflicts and social upheavals? Bringing together political scientists, philosophers, historians of political thought, jurists and scholars of international relations, the collection offers a sophisticated and fresh account of the interactions of law, conflict and the nation state in an early-modern European context

Part I Introduction: War the state and international law in 17th century Europe, Olaf Asbach and Peter SchrA der. Part II Modern State and War - an Internal Nexus?: Wars of states or wars of state-formation?, Johannes Burkhardt; Revisiting the 'war-makes-states' thesis: war, taxation and social property relations in early modern Europe, Benno Teschke. Part III Modern Law of Nations - from Spanish Scholastics to Grotius: The law of nations and the doctrine of terra nullius, David Boucher; Taming the fox and the lion - some aspects of the 16th century's debate on inter-state relations, Peter SchrA der; War, diplomacy and ethics of self-constraint in the age of Grotius, Harald Kleinschmidt; Liquefied sanctity: Grotius and the promise of global law, Bertram Keller. Part IV State and International Relations - from Machiavelli to Hobbes: The anatomy of power in international relations: the doctrine of reason of state as a 'realistic' impact, Peter Nitschke; Security as a norm in Hobbes's theory of war: a critique of Carl Schmitt's interpretation of Hobbes's approach to international relations, Luc Foisneau; Hobbes on the concepts of the state and political sovereignty, Christine Chwaszcza. Part V War and State in the Expanding European State System: Peace impossible? The Holy Roman Empire and the European state system in the 17th century, Christoph Kampmann; Hegemon history: Pufendorf's shifting perspectives on France and French power, David Saunders; Colonial design in European international law of the 17th century, Andrea Weindl. Part VI Conclusions and Perspectives: Dynamics of conflict and illusions of law: making war and thinking peace in the modern international system, Olaf Asbach; Index.